cannabisnews.com: D.C. Council Bill Seeks To Decriminalize MJ
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D.C. Council Bill Seeks To Decriminalize MJ
Posted by CN Staff on July 11, 2013 at 07:11:51 PT
By Will Wrigley
Source: Huffington Post
Washington, D.C. -- -- Marijuana advocates in the District have a few friends on the D.C. Council. D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) unveiled a bill Wednesday morning that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, according to WUSA9.Under the bill, anyone caught with less than one ounce of marijuana would face a civil penalty of a $100 fine. Under current law, possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor offense; first-time offenders face up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
At a press conference, Wells said that the purpose of decriminalization is to save youths caught with marijuana from losing employment opportunities in the future."Once you have a marijuana charge on your record, you cannot participate in certainly the construction boom that is happening all over the city, and it works to stigmatize people ... and it disadvantages them from jobs," Wells said, according to The Washington Post.A report by the American Civil Liberties Union in June found that D.C. leads the nation in marijuana possession arrests per capita, with a rate more than three times higher than the national average. The ACLU also found that nationally African Americans are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, even though the two groups use marijuana at a nearly equal rate.The proposed legislation was hailed by marijuana advocacy organizations."It is time to adopt a more sensible marijuana policy in our nation's capital, and that is what Councilman Wells has proposed," said Morgan Fox, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, in a press release.According to surveys, the majority of D.C. residents support decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana. A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling in April found that 75 percent of D.C. residents support decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana and that 63 percent support legalizing and taxing marijuana for those 21 and older.Mayor Vincent Gray, however, has said that the District should focus on the implementation of its medical marijuana program before considering the decriminalization of marijuana more broadly.Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) is also skeptical of decriminalizing marijuana, citing federal concerns."I don't think it's the right time," Mendelson told the Post in May, adding, "I don't think decriminalization of marijuana will go over easily with Congress."Wells introduced the legislation with Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and six additional co-sponsors, including Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), who has said he would support a bill to legalize marijuana.If the District does decriminalize marijuana for personal use, it would join 14 states that already have similar laws on the books.This story has been updated to note the introduction of the D.C. Council bill with multiple co-sponsors.Source: Huffington Post (NY)Author: Will WrigleyPublished: July 10, 2013Copyright: 2013 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC Contact: scoop huffingtonpost.comWebsite: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/WSSkjpS8CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on July 11, 2013 at 19:43:41 PT
thanks for Ziggy and Woody
was thinkin about the landslide in CO. and how soon we will be seeing those hills seeded after fires withHemp and then on to Golden to the National Renewable Energy Lab. for being groundup as feed stocks for ethanol/and the center the hurds being groundup as a plant flour for all mater of plastics and paper/filters ect.factor in the anti bug fighting side of the plant and on and on.
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on July 11, 2013 at 09:46:51 PT
Ziggy and Woody - Wild and Free
just heard this for the first time:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLfqDxiWsyk
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Comment #2 posted by museman on July 11, 2013 at 09:24:16 PT
runruff
So true my friend, so true.And 'owning' freedom is not something you can buy, even though everything about consumer propaganda says different.Liberty is a birthright of every human being. The idea that one can have 'more liberty' than another simply by virtue of their bloodlines or bank account is a perversion of the truth.Those of us who understand that our liberty is ours, and not held hostage by some arbitrary and false government, perhaps also understand the Gospel Parable of the "Pearl Of Great Price" and why in the story the man buried it where no one could find it. Liberty is not a flag waving, it is a quiet conviction and a solidarity with Life and Creation. One does not need a license to be free, or permits, or fees. One does not need to vote for liberty, one merely needs to BE free.Man the PTBs really got over on the world. They've convinced the stupids so well there is a buffer of stupidity and ignorance between truth, justice, and our 'constitutional right to petition the government' -which has made that "right" pretty much moot. If you can't get through all the tea-partiers or similar stupids, to address your government, then something is very very wrong. The patsies that parade around, and solicit funds for their 'campaigns'so that they can'represent' you are taking advantage of the programmed gullibility and dumbed-down mind spaces propagated by the stupid and false humors and false ethics of the media, and the fake food they now eat.GMO High Fructose Corn Syrup = Stupid. There is more than anecdotal evidence. Go to the store and see what you can find that doesn't have that in it!But of course the flag waving stupids will get angry and want to fight you if you point out the fact that they are being duped and poisoned. I bet all politicians are eating organic -because they can afford it, while most everyone else is content to shop Monsanto. Might as well just rename all the grocery stores to Monsanto Inc.Yes that is 'liberty' in amerika; the "right to choose your method of self destruction!"LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on July 11, 2013 at 07:29:28 PT
Decriminalize canabis?
A civil fine means that the local constabulary can continue to profit from the non-criminal behavior of private citizens and the industries of destruction can maintain a ban on industrial hemp.Greed = evil behavior and destruction.The old saying is: The golden rule "who ever has the gold, makes the rules."I say the wealthiest people on earth are those who own their freedom. We are rare in today's climate and it is meant to be this way by design.Don't fear the reefer!
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